For
those with the Egg option [full]: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)

For
those with the Herb option: Lettuce leaf basil, oregano & par-cel

Featured Recipes (see
below):Grilled Zucchini Burgers

Purslane Potato
Salad

Purslane
& Basil Pesto

Precipitation since last week:
.98”

What’s up on the farm?

Well, we should
start out today with the declaration that we can't complain too much about the
recent weather. We have had too much rain, but not nearly as much as many
places and we have seen none of the severe weather that many areas experienced.
That said, we have indeed had more rain than many crops are pleased about and
some are starting to show their opinions on it with yellowing leaves, slowed
growth and even a few losses in some of the lower areas. We are also starting
to get behind on sowing new crops because the soil is just too wet to work. But
again, that said, most of the crops are doing pretty well so far. We are
starting to see the first few ripening cherry tomatoes and the eggplant, cukes,
beans and peppers are right on the edge of really starting to produce. The
summer squashes are probably the happiest of all, which is a nice change after
the past 2 seasons of lack-luster performance by them and we are very pleased
to be sending out the first of this year's potatoes this week. We are seeing
the end of many of the early season crops, especially in the greens family, but
we hope to have some variety of them back in the boxes before too many weeks
pass. As the boxes aren't quite as bountiful as we would like this week, we are
including an assortment of whatever we have available today. So you may find
something in your box that isn't on the list above. Don't worry, it won't be
anything that is hard to identify.

Progress continues
on the walk-in cooler and the final stages are in sight. What a huge change
that will make to our ability to harvest and store large volumes of crops at
one time. It may not sound like a big deal, but I assure you it will be like
getting to take a vacation for us, midseason!

Many of you have
continued to follow our slow progress on naming the new baby alpaca. We are
happy to officially introduce you to "Suvi" which is Estonian for
"Summer" and we hope you will all come and say hello to her this
Sunday at the CSA Ice Cream Social.

Speaking of which… CSA
member Ice Cream Social- This coming Sunday,
July 13th from 2 – 5pm at the farm. Come on out for an afternoon
filled with fresh country air, homemade ice cream and farm-fresh desserts. We will
be sending out an email today to gather RSVP’s or in Des Moines you may tell Jill when you pick up your box
today. We hope everyone can join us!

Just a reminder,
we have set up a new Facebook page for CSA members. You can find it here: Blue
Gate Farm Community. If you have a Facebook account we encourage you
to post recipes, photos and questions about your weekly produce box adventures.
If you don't have an account, don't worry, you can still see/ read anything on
the page, but you won't be able to post anything. We will keep an eye on the
page and try to answer questions in a timely manner, but really this is to
encourage the "Community" aspect of CSA and to provide you all a venue to share and
connect with each other.

A little detail on your produce this week:

Scallions:
(green onions) are best kept upright in a glass with about 1" of water in
it, more like flowers than vegetables. Loosely cover the tops with plastic and
you will be amazed at how long they will keep. We like to throw a handful of
chopped scallions into nearly any savory dish, right near the end of the
cooking time.

Beans: Store
in their plastic bag in your crisper drawer and use within a week for best
quality.

Broccoli:
Wrap broccoli loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your
refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak broccoli, head
down, in cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt to 8 cups of water) for 5 minutes.
Any [organic] critters will float to the top where you can rescue them or allow
them to suffer a salty death. (Note: If you soak broccoli in salt water before
storing, it will become too rubbery and

wilted to enjoy.) Slice the
juicy, edible stems and use them wherever florets are called for. Peel
particularly thick skin before using.

Potatoes: Store
in their paper bag at cool room temperatures and wash right before using
(potatoes don't like to be washed straight out of the field, so we have to
apologize for the extra soil they are carrying). Use in the next two weeks as
these are fresh, uncured potatoes and will not store for a long period of time.

Summer Squash/Zucchini: Refrigerate unwashed zucchini and summer squash for up
to a week and a half in a perforated plastic bag or in a sealed plastic
container lined with a kitchen towel. Before using, rinse zucchini and summer
squash under cool running water to remove any dirt or prickles; then slice off
the stem and blossom ends. Slice the vegetable into rounds, quarters, or chunks
according to the specifications of your recipe. Summer squashes and zucchinis
can be used interchangeably in recipes.

A few other details: Your
greens will keep best if stored in a plastic bag, with the top folded over and
placed in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.For those of you who are new to our salad
mix, yes you can eat the flowers.

Cut zucchini into slices, making sure the slices are
the same thickness. Combine salad dressing with garlic and herbs, if using. Put
zucchini slices into ziploc bag, pour in marinade and let zucchini marinate 4
hours or longer, can be as long as all day.

To cook zucchini, preheat grill to medium-high.

Place zucchini on grill. After
about 4 minute, check for grill marks, and rotate zucchini a quarter turn. Cook
3-4 more minutes on first side.

Turn zucchini to second side, place 1-2 basil leaves
on top side and cover with provolone. Cook about 4 minutes more, or until
zucchini is starting to soften quite a bit, with the outside slightly charred
and browned. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve hot on
bread or rolls.

This recipe is also tasty with eggplant.

Recipe Source:
BGF, adapted from http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com

Purslane
Potato Salad

Serves 4-6

In a medium pot, boil 5 cups chopped
potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. In a bowl, mix 1 cucumber chopped into half moon
slivers, 1 cup purslane leaves and buds
(flowers and stalks are edible as well, if you choose), and 1 cup chopped scallions with greens.
Add potatoes and mix well.

In a small, wide bowl, whisk 1 egg yolk
until smooth. Drip in, whisking constantly, 1 cup olive oil, making sure to add slowly enough to keep mixture
opaque. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1-2 finely chopped Serrano peppers.
Mix well. Spoon over potato and vegetable mixture (there may be some spicy mayo
leftover; it will keep in the fridge for at least a week, if not longer),
adding several tablespoons white wine
or cider vinegar and fresh
ground pepper and salt to
taste. Toss well and serve at room temperature.

Recipe Source: www.diaryofalocavore.com

Purslane & Basil Pesto

4 Cups Purslane

2 Cups Fresh Basil

1 Cup Roasted Pine Nuts

1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive
Oil

8 Garlic Cloves

1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Honey or Agave
Nectar

1/4 Teaspoon Fresh Ground
Pepper

Place all ingredients in the
food processor and pulse until smooth. Use this wonderful pesto in
pasta... risotto, as a spread in sandwiches or as a dip for some crudite.
Enjoy!